Cornwall - An arbitration ruling against the
MacLauchlan government for hundreds of thousands of dollars shows misplaced
priorities at a time when the health care system is desperate for funding, says
Stratford-Kinlock MLA and PC Leadership candidate James Aylward.

“We know that we have a crisis on the
Island when it comes to timely access to quality mental health services. That
makes the role of community groups and non-profits important to help fill the
gaps for Islanders in need. Instead of supporting these groups we have a tired,
Liberal government that ends up in costly legal battles that cost taxpayers and
do nothing to improve access to these badly needed mental health services,”
says Aylward.

As part of the MacLauchlan
government’s Cornwall Bypass project the Hughes-Jones Centre for People and
Animals, a 79 acre horse farm in Cornwall, was expropriated by the province
earlier this year. The Hughes-Jones Centre is a non-profit group providing
equine therapy services to at-risk youth and those suffering from PTSD, among
other mental health challenges.

This week an arbitration process over
how government handled the expropriation process ruled against government,
awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation and court costs.

“Low balling non-profits working to
improve the physical and mental health of Islanders isn’t the way to build more
capacity to help Islanders in need. It’s disappointing that this tired Liberal
government places a higher premium on asphalt than it does on the health of its
citizens and that’s what we need to change,” says Aylward.

Georgetown-St. Peters MLA and Opposition Rural Development Critic Steven Myers says that Georgetown seems to have been forgotten in Premier MacLauchlan’s latest round of community economic councils. see more

Arbitration ruling against the MacLauchlan government shows misplaced priorities as health care system is desperate for funding, says Stratford-Kinlock MLA and PC Leadership candidate James Aylward see more